MSP Airport gets a premium lounge for gamers
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Photo: Torey Van Oot/Axios
MSP Airport is leveling up with a "first-of-its-kind" premium lounge dedicated to gaming.
What to expect: The 3,800-square-foot Portal Lounge boasts over a dozen stations with Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation consoles and custom-built gaming PCs.
- Travelers can also pass the time with a snack or drink in an adjoining room that features more typical tables and bar seats.
🤖 Plus: A dance-happy robotic bartender named Toni mixes drinks ordered via a nearby touch-screen (human mixologists are on call to help with specialty items and glasses).
If you go: Travelers who want to pop into the lounge can buy a $70 day pass or gain entry via premium credit cards that come with complimentary lounge access.
- Food, drinks and gaming console access come with entry.
📍It's located in Terminal 1, between Concourses C and D.
What we're hearing: Portal co-founder Jordan Walbridge, who also launched the Gameway video game lounges, told Axios that he came up with the new concept after feeling "underwhelmed" by lounges that "feel the same."
- "We want it to be tech-forward, we want it to be premium, and we want it to be fun," said Walbridge — whose game of choice is "Assassin's Creed."
Torey's thought bubble: While I'm not a gamer, I appreciated the Instagram-worthy vibe and convenient location during a brief pop-in before a flight.
- The food options looked tasty, and the novelty of the robot bartender alone is worth a visit if you can use your card to enter for free!
🤫 What's next: Walbridge said he and his wife Emma are expanding the concept to more airports soon, though he declined to say which ones.